Mystery: From the Shadow World

Chapter 81 Strategic Deception
Emlyn White cursed the murderer with resentment in his heart. As a noble vampire, he would not reveal his identity. A peaceful life and making money to buy more dolls were what he wanted.

Are those three guys? Damn it!
Emlyn gritted his teeth and continued reading:

"So I've moved all the dolls in your room to a safe place for care. Don't worry about them getting damaged. As long as no secret organizations or official Beyonders come to me every week, I'll return some of the dolls."

"You can also choose the outcome that none of us would like to see, if you want."

"A friend of yours."

Staring at the last line of the signature, Emlyn White's expression was a little distorted. Even though he was extremely anxious, he was still helpless. He couldn't tell this embarrassing thing to other elders and ask them to help him find the doll.

The vampire reluctantly flipped through the letter. It was originally intended to soothe him, but he made an unexpected discovery. Emlyn narrowed his blood-red eyes and stared at the small words in the corner:
"Of course. I imagine you've lost something so precious, and you're probably suffering constantly. So I have another method. It's more dangerous, more secure, and can better prove your sincerity."

"As for the specific time and place, tomorrow morning at 9:30, at the Cloverfield Café in Hillston, what do you think?"

Emlyn's breathing became heavier. He really wanted to seek help from his parents and everyone he knew to get rid of this damn guy and find out the location of his puppet.

But he didn't dare to bet on that possibility.

These dolls are all his spiritual pillars. If any of them fails and cannot be recovered, it will become an irreparable crack in his heart.

Emlyn clenched the letter in his hand, suppressing the urge to go find the other party immediately. He closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, and sat on the floor against the wall, muttering to himself restlessly:

"Tomorrow, tomorrow"

The next day, 9:06.

Hillston District.

Inside the Cloverfield Café, Philip silently took a sip of the sugar-free coffee in his hand, and at the same time glanced at the vampire who was sitting closest to the door and took out a pocket watch from his pocket to check the time every ten seconds or so, feeling a little speechless.

In order to prevent the other party from calling for helpers to ambush, Philip came at 8:30 and enjoyed his breakfast leisurely. Taking advantage of the time difference, he could pretend to be an innocent passerby and leave if he noticed that something was wrong.

As it turned out, this vampire had already been sitting in the cafe when she came to order food while maintaining the appearance of Jane Charlotte, and no one knew how long he had been there!
The other party was fidgeting and looked haggard, which made Phillip feel that her conscience was being tested. However, for the sake of safety, this kind of thing was inevitable, and she didn't want any accidents to happen.

After waiting for more than half an hour, Philip confirmed that it was unlikely that there would be any powerful Beyonders ambushing nearby. He drank the Southwell coffee in his cup, walked straight to the table and chairs where Emlyn was sitting, and tapped them lightly with his fingers.

Da da da.

These few soft sounds quickly brought Emlyn's thoughts back to reality. His eyes, regaining their focus, quickly looked to the right, and what he saw was indeed a beautiful lady he had no impression of.

If it were usual, he might have managed to force a smile and chat with the other person, but now that something like this had happened, his expression and tone were not very good. "Miss, what can I do for you?"

"Mr. Emlyn White."

Philip had a calm and composed smile on her face. She pointed her slender white fingers towards the corner and whispered, "I think we should change places to talk about your dolls, don't we?"

boom!
Emlyn stood up and stared at the girl in front of him. When he came to his senses, he noticed the gazes from all around him and the pain in his hands.

"Ahem." The vampire coughed dryly twice, trying to calm himself down. He followed Philip and moved to the table in the corner, sitting opposite him. After sitting down, he looked around to confirm that no one else was eavesdropping or ambushing, then asked calmly:

"Tell me, where are they?!"

Da da.

Philip knocked on the table again, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and he shook his head with a bit of helplessness: "Mr. White, I think you misunderstood."

"Actually, this is a commission I accepted at yesterday's Beyonder gathering. The client gave me the specific information and paid me a fee. In return, I will bear the risk of showing up. I hope you won't make it difficult for me."

So that's how it is. Humph, what a cunning fellow. Emlyn gritted his teeth secretly. After knowing that the man in front of him was not the culprit, his tone softened slightly. "Don't worry, as long as you don't expose my identity, I have no interest in reporting you to the official Beyonders. It would do absolutely no good."

"Tell me, what did that guy say? How can I return them to me? Now, immediately!"

Philip pinched his chin, feigning hesitation for two seconds. Then, before Emlyn could continue his questioning, he said shockingly, "He said his request is simple. Pray to a certain hidden being and become their believer. Then they will immediately return half of your doll."

Emlyn's eyes widened. He almost suspected he had misheard. "This..."

Even though he was obsessed with dolls and didn't care about worldly affairs, as a vampire, he still understood that if he prayed to those almost completely unreliable secret beings other than the Seven Gods, the impact would probably be far beyond what a life could expect.

This could very well ruin everything!
At this moment, seeing Emlyn's expression, Philip was not surprised at all. Instead, he took the cup of Southwell coffee he had just bought, drank two sips calmly, and then slowly said:

"He said there was no danger."

There's no danger! If I really believed that, I'd be the dumbest, most foolish, and most shameful vampire! Emlyn was filled with resentment, but thinking that it had nothing to do with the girl in front of him, he could only shrug his head and sigh silently.

At this moment, a piece of paper was slapped on the table.

Emlyn shifted his gaze to it and discovered that it was a three-part spell. After a moment's hesitation, he gave in and silently recited it in Loenese, memorizing it silently.

Ten seconds later, Philip took back the white paper, clenched it in his palm, and stuffed it into his pocket.

"If you don't give up immediately, I'll show you this piece of paper and let you decide for yourself. That's what he said. Oh, and if you spread this name, you'll have to bear the consequences at your own risk."

Emlyn sat up straight again, his tone and expression calmer than before. "Without the notary's ability to guarantee it, I cannot trust your sincerity, unless, unless..."

"Unless?" Philip asked without any doubt.

Whether the other party wanted to know the origin of her name or wanted to drag her down with him, she had already anticipated these things and had prepared a plan in mind.

"You let me see them intact!"

Emlyn's passionate answer stunned Philip, who was about to speak eloquently. He blinked for a moment, then said in a daze:

".Eh?"

(End of this chapter)